Existing post-operative bandages, popularly known as "multi-head bandages", are made of pure cotton or unwoven fabric and comprise a piece of rectangular cloth with a number of cloth strips on two opposing sides of the cloth. A patient, after having an operation in the chest or abdomen, would have this bandage applied for protection and stabilization of the operation wound or incision. This type of bandage usually requires two medical personnel to wind it around the wounded portion of a patient. Once the bandage is wound around the patient, the cloth strips on opposite sides are successively overlapped on each other and tightly fastened together. If a drainage tube or other drainage device is needed for the wound, it may be placed in a gap between the cloth strips of the bandage.
The prior art devices suffer from the disadvantage of being cumbersome. The prior bandage requires two skilled individuals for application. A patient cannot handle the bandage himself. Additionally, the prior bandage is not elastic and applies uneven pressure to a wound. Uneven pressure on a wound may result in uneven healing of the wound and discomfort to the wearer.
The prior bandage is susceptible to loosening or displacement due to patient motion. If the bandage is wound too tightly, the patient may suffer a feeling of constriction. If the bandage is wound too loosely, the analgesic effect from the pressure of the bandage is lost. Also, because the drainage tube is placed between a gap in the cloth strips of the bandage, it is liable to be become twisted or constricted and its drainage capacity impeded.